Given that adhesion‐resistance of water severely weakens the bonding strength of tissue adhesives, instant adhesion to wet biological tissue surfaces remains challenging. Inspired by the robust underwater adhesion of natural creatures (such as mussels and barnacles whose underwater adhesion derives from the synergy of hydrophobic and adhesive matrix), a self‐hydrophobized adhesive is developed by co‐assembly of disulfide‐bond hydrolyzed hydrophobic natural sericin protein (a major component of silkworm silk fibers) and tannic acid. Once exposed to water, the self‐aggregation of hydrophobic chains within the adhesive repels water and enhances interfacial hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions, mechanistically leading to a robust (>0.5 MPa for solid plates and >0.1 MPa for tissues) and durable (still maintained at 0.4 Mpa even after five cycles) underwater adhesion. Owing to its robust underwater adhesion property, this adhesive possesses multiple advantages outperforming commercial adhesives, such as in vivo wound healing‐promoting effects, effective fluid leakage sealing, and rapid hemostasis activity. This study not only offers a novel strategy for designing and fabricating an underwater adhesive with natural protein but also provides a new adhesive for various potential applications, including promoting wound healing and hemostasis.
Cryogels, with high water/blood absorption, have great potential for rapid hemostasis. In this study, a hemostatic and antibacterial sericin‐methacryloyl/Ag cryogel (SMC@Ag) based on freeze polymerization of methacryloyl‐modified sericin and in situ reduction of silver ions is developed. The combination of interconnected micropores and Ag NPs endows the cryogel with high water/blood absorption, and outstanding hemostatic and antibacterial performance. SMC@Ag shows much better hemostatic performance than the commercial gelatin sponge in rat liver injury, tail amputation, and femoral artery injury models. Furthermore, the excellent hemostatic activity of SMC@Ag is due to facilitating the coagulation pathway activation and enhancing the platelets adhesion during coagulation process. Overall, SMC@Ag cryogel with excellent hemostatic and antibacterial performance is a suitable candidate for traumatic hemorrhage and wound healing.
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